While not the first female superhero film in history, Wonder Woman changed the way we thought about female lead superhero films. When you give women the helm for major productions about women, you see the impact it has on the community. It came as a kind of a surprise to fans when WB/DC got the big female lead movie out first. Its left the appearance of Marvel trying to play catch up, pointing out the glaringly obvious ways that Marvel Studios has dropped the ball when it comes to women characters and creators. With Captain Marvel approaching it’s final two weeks of filming, it leaves some fans wondering if Captain Marvel is too late to capitalize on the hype soaked up by Wonder Woman. Will Marvel Studios pull off the same fan acclaimed feature that WB/DC captured, or will Captain Marvel come across as an attempt to copy without authenticity?

Carol Danvers, Captain Marvel, has a rich history in comics all her own. She’s worn many hats, costumes, and code names. Like with many other Marvel characters, it will be a task to condense all of that into something the general audience can consume with their eyes. Captain Marvel is the MCU’s first female lead movie, with hints about a Black Widow movie somewhere in the future. But with Wonder Woman being such a success, both financially and with fans, there’s a lot of pressure on Captain Marvel’s part-Kree shoulders. Adapting her origin to the big screen and to fit within the MCU continuity will definitely mean some changes for the hero, but if they stay true to the core of the character, Captain Marvel can be shown to be a different kind of hero from Wonder Woman. A hero less naive about the world, more flawed in character, while still bringing hope and strength to those around her.

The next trick is to make her different, without distancing her from the things that made Wonder Woman such a hit. She needs to be relatable, likable, someone everyone in the audience can empathize with.

Many fans have high hopes for this movie, Carol Danvers is a fan favorite with a strong following. But her fans won’t let Marvel Studios get a pass if they don’t deliver a movie that competes with Wonder Woman’s popularity. Yes, there can be (should be!) more than one female lead superhero movie out there that kicks much butt. One movie doesn’t have to be seen as better than the other.

However, Captain Marvel needs to, at the very least, rise to the standard that Wonder Woman has set. Adding Pinar Toprak as the MCU’s first woman to score one of their movies garners some goodwill and shows that the MCU is willing to make some changes to bring in female creators. But is it enough? Wonder Woman had more than a few female roles that stood out in the movie despite the limited screen time. Captain Marvel needs to bring the same presence to its female characters. Credited in IMDB so far, we have one named female character. Female creators behind the scenes are great! Screenwriters, composers, directors, editors, that’s exactly what Captain Marvel fans want, but they also want female representation on screen. If Captain Marvel is yet another MCU movie that doesn’t even past the Bechdel Test, fans won’t be happy.

All of this being said, Marvel Studios hasn’t even hit post-production yet. We don’t have all the information or anything that could even be called a teaser. All of these concerns could be met and cleared up soon. And as fans salivate for every scrap of Captain Marvel news, everyone is hoping Marvel rises to the challenge. The film is set for a March 8, 2019 release.

How do you feel about the Captain Marvel movie? Will it hit the same height Wonder Woman did? Will it surpass it? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook!

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